


The Real Me

by Toomanyfandomsnani



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: #PunchGabrielAgreste2k19, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Gabriel is a shitty parent, Happy Ending, His only good character trait, Identity Reveal, Marinette thinks of Ladybug as a different person, So does Chat Noir of Adrien, They actually fight over this, first fic, typical teenage swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-31 06:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17843879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandomsnani/pseuds/Toomanyfandomsnani
Summary: When Marinette and Adrien find themselves trapped in a cage thanks to an akuma, they have to transform in front of what they believe to be a civilian friend. How do you react when you find out the love of your life is in love with a mere mask?





	1. The Reveal

**Author's Note:**

> This gives me anxiety. Ok guys, this is my first fanfic so please tell me if you find anything wrong or something. English is not my fist language, so that too. This is what I'd believe would happen if, at 17, they were kind of forced to reveal themselves. It's not funny, I believe that if they were forced into that kind of situation it would be very heavy on them...so... Enjoy, I guess?

_Well, this is not ideal._

  Eyes widen in panic met in a metal cage. After 3 years of fighting akumas, protecting Paris and keeping –miraculously- their identities a secret, a cage proved to be their undoing. The akuma, Incarcerator, appeared to be an animal rights activist trying to prove to every human being that being locked in a cage was no way of living. It was a pain in the ass alright.

  Marinette and Adrien had been at the zoo with Alya and Nino when the akuma appeared, trapping them both in a cage big enough for them to stand at arm’s length. Alya immediately started recording, and soon enough left following the villain with Nino trying to keep up.

   _I’m fucking screwed._ Marinette thought, heart beating loudly. She could feel her hands starting to sweat and the hairs at the back of her neck rise in dread. As if reading each other’s minds both started looking for any means to escape that damned iron cube that kept each other from doing what they were _meant_ to do, but there was no way out. Blue met green in a desperate attempt to make the other understand that it was going to be alright, one way or the other. They were alone. Marinette put a hand on her purse, trying somehow to make Tikki understand that she _had_ to do this, there was no other way. It was her identity or Paris. However, before she could utter a word, Adrien took her hand. Her heart fluttered in her chest, but she forced those damned butterflies to chill, now was not the time nor place for her stupid love to cloud her mind.

-“I know I can trust you, and I need you to trust me that I’ll take care of it… But first we have to get out of this, Ladybug must be waiting for me wherever the akuma is. Please, Marinette, can I have your word that what’s going to happen next dies here?”- Marinette was not quite sure she understood what the hell was happening, but she nodded anyway. It was extremely rare for Adrien to be this serious, but she never expected to hear him say “ _Plagg, transform me_ ”, nor the green light that made her friend disappear and leave her with Chat Noir.

  Many things happened in her head while Adri- _Chat_ cataclysmed the cage. Disbelief, shock, happiness, hope, love, anger. _I have been turning Adrien down for…Adrien. The fucking irony._

  Once the cage turned into a pile of rust dust, Chat Noir –aka Adrien Agreste- turned and looked her in the eye.

  _Holy shit, was it magic or am I fucking blind?!_ Now that she knew, it was impossible not to _see._ She wanted to say something, _anything,_ but the shock was too much, and Marinette found herself rooted on her spot.

-“Please, Mari. I’m trusting you with this, ok?” He turned to leave, and her body was hers again. Hand shot forward yanking his tail like countless of times before. –“Mari… What’s wrong?”

-“Tikki, transform me.”- He felt the magic before he saw the pink light embrace her _._ That sinking feeling when you’re about to drop on a rollercoaster. That’s what they felt. It was a crucial moment in their lives, it shouldn’t have happened like this. It was supposed to be their _choice_ , when they both felt ready and had time to talk afterwards.

-“Chat, go and recharge Plagg, I’ll be waiting for you.” Now they had no time for this, Paris first, their talk later.

-“Yes, LB. I meet you in 5.” She nodded once, and off she went. Adrien could feel his body trembling, they were not 14 anymore.

  He once was very eager for “a reveal”, but with the years he understood this was not as easy as it seemed. The burden and the responsibility would be easier to bear if they knew, but they were also responsible for the security and wellbeing of each other’s loved ones, and that was too much. If one of them was captured or akumatized it would endanger much more than just themselves.

-“Plagg, detransform me.” _Breathe, Adrien. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Again. Again._

-“Kid? Are you okay?” – Plagg’s nasal voice cut short his breathing exercise. Adrien opened his bag and took out the Tupperware with pieces of camembert that he carried inside. Opening it, he looked at Plagg.

-“I’m glad it’s her, actually… I am so excited it’s Marinette. I couldn’t imagine someone better for this, but I never thought I’d be so lucky, you know? At the same time, I worried this is going to change everything for the worse. There are so many _what ifs_ on my mind right now and we don’t have the time to process all of this. I’m scared, Plagg. Really scared.” – His voice shook with emotion, a lump stuck on his throat that he couldn’t swallow no matter what.

-“Kid, you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it, but right now your Lady is waiting for you. I’m ready if you are.”

  For the second time that day, Adrien turned into Chat Noir. He let the tears fall on the way to the akuma, he was allowed at least that much.

 

* * *

 

  They were sloppy, that much you could tell. Their silent conversations were not so clear now that they knew the other part of their partner, as if seeing the whole picture made everything blurrier.

  It sucked.

  They were fighting in front of the Hôtel de Ville, trying to keep the damages to the minimum. Ladybug was trying to distract the Incarcerator so Chat Noir could cataclysm the necklace where the akuma was, basically playing tag with the woman. She was dressed like a Safari keeper, all kaki with the hat and walking stick, which she used to send those fucking cages flying.

  After several moments of dodging and fighting with no results, they changed tactics and started to fight 2:1.

  Their frustration, and the need to talk about everything like… _yesterday_ brought them their victory. Ladybug managed to trap the Incarcerator with her yoyo, and Chat broke the necklace.

-“Bye bye, little buttlerfly.”- She called for a Lucky Charm to be able to return Paris to its normal state, and with that, it was just the two of them.

  It was like seeing each other for the first time all over again. They trusted each other with their lives, they were friends outside of the suits too. They knew each other better than anyone else in their lives, and still they felt like complete strangers.

-“My place, 10pm?” – Ladybug asked shyly. They knew they couldn’t stay long, there was an akuma victim to help, and their time limit too.

-“Yeah, I’ll see you.” – Chat said, “You can go, I haven’t used cataclysm and this lady needs some help.”

-“Ok.” – _Why is this so awkward?!_ They didn’t fist bump, neither said nothing more.

  The journalists were too late, they only caught the sight of Paris’ heroes jumping over rooftops. Separately.


	2. Real or not?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the talk -and the fluff- begin ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your kudos and reviews! Now for the next chapter.....

10 pm was taking its sweet time to come. It was 7pm, they had defeated the akuma 2 hours ago and Adrien was about to lose his fucking mind.

-“Kid. _Kid._ KIIIIIIIIID.” No answer. “ **ADRIEN!** ” Startled, the young man turned to look at the little God of Destruction, who was looking at him like he was pretty ready to cataclysm his ass.

-“What, Plagg?”

-“You know you can text her, right? I can _hear_ you worry from here, and it’s making this delicious camembert taste like sand. And _that_ , kid, is a crime.”

  Actually, he hadn’t thought of that. Years of waiting for patrol or akuma attacks to see his Lady had blocked any possibility of contacting her outside of the suit. He could call Ladybug, he could _text_ Ladybug. _He had Ladybug’s number._

**Adrien:** Hey Mari, sorry to bother you, but... Can I come over now? I don’t know if I can wait another 3 hours to talk.

**Marinette:** Yes, please. I’m going crazy too.

  In a moment, Chat Noir was vaulting across the rooftops of Paris to a certain Patisserie. He saw Marinette waiting for him on her balcony, she spotted him a few moments before he reached her. It was at that moment, landing softly next to her, that Adrien realized nothing ever prepared him to have this conversation. As Adrien Agreste he had to be calm, collected, responsible, eloquent… but as Chat Noir? He was anything but. Nonetheless, he detransformed. Plagg went inside her room, surely looking for her kwami.

-“I couldn’t be happier, you know? I wanted you to know that before anything else. I couldn’t picture anyone more suited for the role of Ladybug than you. And I'm so mad at myself, because it's _so_ obvious! Every single thing that makes _you_ , Marinette, special is the exact same thing that made me fall in love with Ladybug, well... _You_!"- _Please someone shut me up, this is not how I want to confess._

  Marinette could feel her heart twist at his words, he loved her… but it was not really her. Ladybug was graceful, confident, a perfect mask of responsibility and courage that Marinette certainly lacked.

-"That's the thing, Chat… you fell in love with Ladybug, but how can I be sure that you love ALL of me? How can I know that you aren't blindsided by your love for Ladybug? I'm just Marinette, a total klutz who cannot walk 10 feet without tripping, who is awkward and shy and terribly insecure. I had a huge crush on Adrien since he gave me his umbrella that rainy day 3 years ago, and as I learned more about you, I fell in love. I’m not Ladybug, not really"- She looked away, not daring to look at him in the eye. –“I’m just so scared, what happens when you realize that I’ll never meet your expectations? What if, sometime down the line, you realize I’m not good enough? I couldn’t bear to lose you, least of all both of you.”

-"In that case how can I know you truly love me?"- That... was not what she expected to hear. Marinette looked back to find Chat eyes narrowed in anger, daring her to contradict him. -"Adrien is not who I choose to be, you speak as if Marinette is the real deal while Ladybug is the mask, while in my case it's the other way around. Chat is the real me, and Adrien is a mask I have to wear daily, the price I pay for carrying the Agreste name. I know I love all of you because the moment I saw you, truly saw you, I loved you thrice as hard. I know Ladybug is a part of you, it doesn’t mean that part is a lie.  Marinette, you are the most stubborn, hardworking, compassionate, kind, trustworthy and loving human being I have the honor to meet. You make Ladybug more real, _whole._ Now I want to ask you, would _you_ be able to love me? _All_ of me? I want to prove it to you, I want us to work on this. We have everything it takes to make a relationship work, wouldn't you agree?"

  The tears she was trying to keep at bay now ran freely down her cheeks, never in her life did she dare to dream to be in this situation. Here was Adrien Agreste, love of her life, declaring his love for her. _All_ of her. _I know I love all of you because the moment I saw you, truly saw you, I loved you thrice as hard._ Could someone’s heart _hurt_ of happiness? He looked at her with such vulnerability, he truly was pouring his heart out for her… for _Marinette_.

  Could she, though? Could she fall in love with Chat Noir too? She loved Adrien, that was known, but could she love his goofy, carefree side too? _Did she already?_ It would take work, a lot of work. Getting to know each other again, putting both pieces together. Adrien was her silly Chaton, and she was Adrien’s Bugaboo.

_What a fucking mess._ She took Adrien’s hand in hers and noticed how moist they were. _Silly kitty. As if anything in this life could stop me from loving you._

-"It will take me some time to get used to this, all of this. And we have to talk about our nicknames outside of the mask, we have to be careful. We can’t start dating as Marinette and Adrien just as Ladynoir becomes canon."- As soon as she finished speaking, he was hugging her within an inch of her life. His body shaking with quiet sobs, while she clung to him crying in relief.

* * *

 

Half an hour later, when both heroes have calmed down enough to actually talk at length, they sat nursing two cups of cocoa. They talked about past akumas, their lame excuses to escape, the pain secrets brought, things only them were able to understand.

-“So… what happens next? How do you want us to approach this? Us?” – Adrien asked, playing with her fingers.

-“I think we should start dating as civilians before anything else, one of us asks the other out and after a couple of months we can make Ladynoir public. What do you think?”- _Those blue eyes are going to be the death of me one of this days._

-“I think that’s a purrfect idea, My Lady.”- Chat’s smirk on Adrien’s face was sexy, and her heart was making summersaults in her chest. Channeling some of Ladybug’s confidence, Marinette grabbed the lapels of Adrien’s jacket and gently pulled him to her until they were nose to nose. It was not the most comfortable position, she was sitting sideways in front of him, both in the same chaise. Her chest turned so from the waist up she was facing him, but the blush that covered his face was as cute as it was empowering. Marinette was capable of making Adrien blush, and she _liked it._

  His hands found their way to cup her cheeks, and he rubbed his nose against hers. Green eyes sought permission before looking at her lips again. She could feel his heart beating wildly under her hands, and finally she tilted her face _just so._

  Kissing Adrien was, as cliché as it sounds, like coming home. It was as if her heart just _knew_ he was the one meant for her. His lips were soft against hers, he tasted like cocoa and something underneath that could only be _him_. Her hands rose to wave themselves into his hair, her nails slightly scratching his scalp. His purr surprised them both, and the parted with a laugh, stopping barely inches apart.

  _The eyes are the windows of the soul_ , they said. And at that moment, those bluebell eyes were looking at him with such love and tenderness that his heart melted. _He_ melted. And as Adrien kissed Marinette for a second time, he knew they were going to be alright.

 


	3. Telling everyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They tell their loved ones of their relationship changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait! As you can see, this episode is much longer... that's part of the reason it took me so long. Other thing is that I HATE WRITING GABRIEL AGRESTE. #PunchGabriel2k19 Thank you so much for anyone who left kudos or commented or simply just read this fic. It's my first one and I'm already making plans for the next :P ENJOY!

**1\. Gabriel Agreste**

_Palms sweaty?_ Check. _Heartbeat going nuts?_ Check. _Unable to keep my leg from bouncing?_ Check.

_God, I’m a fucking mess._

-“Adrien?”- _Whiplash?_ Check. –“Your father is ready to see you.” Nathalie said, holding the door to my father’s office open. “Please, try to make it as short as possible, he has a meeting in a few minutes.”

-“Yeah, thanks Nathalie.”

  Adrien walked through the open door trying not to look like the nervous wreck he was. _You’re doing this for us, both of us. Mari deserves this, and I deserve this too. Okay, Adrien… shoulders back, spine straight, chin up and go._

  Even though Adrien was 17 years old, Gabriel still made him feel extremely intimidated. His cold demeanor, lack of empathy and indifference towards his son had made their relationship one of employer-employee, not family. By the time Adrien was in front of his father’s desk, he could feel a thick bead of sweat running down his spine.

-“Yes, Adrien? Nathalie said you had an issue to discuss with me, it was, according to her, a matter of urgency.” He looked at his son as if he was bored of his mere presence. Not a single trace of worry or concern about what Adrien might want to talk about. _He won’t care anyways._

-“I wanted to let you know that I have a girlfriend now, you know her actually. She has won several of your contests, Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She’s a classmate. Black hair, blue eyes… do you remember her?” He was rambling, he knew he was rambling. His jaw closed with a _clack_ so he could just shut up.

-“And when did this…occur?”

-“Yesterday, I asked her after class and she said yes.”

-“And who is aware of this new development in your relationship with Mlle. Dupain-Cheng?”

-“No one yet, father.”

-“Perfect, you are going to break up with her just before school starts, we do not need any rumors reaching the news station.”

-“What?” – Adrien could feel how his soul was torn to pieces. _It hurt._ He never asked for anything, did everything his father wanted of him. He was just another investment for his father. Not even an employee…a possession. A thing to be owned and to be used when convenient.

  Just like that, he was _angry._ No one, not him and certainly not his father were going to brak _His Lady’s heart._

-“No.” He was shaking, but he tensed every single muscle in his body so his father could not notice how this affected him.

-“I beg your pardon?” – Gabriel stood from his chair, hands behind his back, in an attempt to placate his son’s strange rebellion.

-“I said no, father.” –Adrien looked straight into his father’s eyes. –“I will not, under any circumstances, break up with Marinette just because you want me to. This is my heart on the line, _my happiness_ you’re playing with. I accepted it for years just because I was trying to have a relationship, _any kind of relationship,_ with you; but I will not let you ruin the best thing that has happened to me since mom disappeared.” His heart was beating wildly in his chest, he had never stood up to Gabriel with such finality.

-“I see… I will have you removed from that school from this day forward, I can see your so called friends have been a terrible influence on your character –“

-“You can do that” –he shrugged his shoulders unconcerned. –“I’ll be turning 18 in 3 months. What will you do then? Kidnap me? Keep me under lock and key as a precious jewel to never see the sun again? Look, it is not my job, and it should have never been my job to bow down to you to deserve your affection. You’re supposed to be my _father._ The only family I have left, and yet you treat me as if I’m your favourite diamond, only to be taken outside to be showed off. _I am done with that._ If you want to take me out of school, go ahead, I’ll be out of this prison the moment I turn 18.”

-“And where will you go, exactly? What will you do?”- Gabriel’s face twisted in a satisfied smirk.

-“Mom’s been declared legally dead, remember? I have her inheritance waiting for me. I’m sure you knew that she left everything under her name to me if anything came to happen. Her apartments, the Villa, actions, money. Everything will be passed down to me when I’m of legal age. Or did you think I would never find out about that? Was it? Even if I never found out about mom’s last will, I would have found a way. My friend’s parents have always offered their homes to me, with opened arms because they _care._ So thank you, Gabriel, but no thank you. Do whatever you want, but I’m out of this house and I am out of your life. Congratulations.” Gabriel’s face lost all his colour while Adrien gave his speech, shock locking him in place with his mouth barely opened and wide eyes watched his son’s back while he walked away. At the door, Adrien looked over his shoulder and gave the final blow.

-“Don’t you ever get tired of driving people away?” And with that, he was gone.

No one was there to see the great Gabriel Agreste cry.

* * *

**2.**   **Tom and Sabine**

  Something was different about Marinette that morning. For once, she got up _before_ her alarm clock went off, and she came down the stairs _in a good mood._ Marinette has never been a morning person, when she was a newborn she only cried twice for a feeding at night and then slept soundly until almost 10am. She slept through the night since she was 2 months old. It was very strange.

  Marinette was sitting eating a bowl of cereal while typing on her phone, so Sabine sat down in front of her.

-“Marinette, darling. Is everything okay?” -She asked taking on of her daughter’s hands in hers. Amused, she watched as Marinette’s face went from confusion, to alarm, to embarrassment, to finally rest in a deep blush trying to avoid her eyes. _Hm, so something did happen._ –“Honey, you know you can tell me, right? I will not force you to, but I want you to know that I’m here for you if you need me.”

Those beautiful blue eyes finally met hers, full of life and _happiness._ Marinette faced her mom and put her other hand on top of her mom’s.

-“I’m fine, mom. In fact, I’m more than fine. I’m so happy I could practically explode, it’s just that I didn’t know if I could tell you yet… Okay, here’s the thing, Adrien asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday.”

Her eyes were wide in excitement and her voice carried a little squeal at the end, she wanted to groan. Really, she did, but a booming voice interrupted from the door.

-“YES! FINALLY! MY BABY GIRL!” – Tom caught the last of the conversation by accident while he was carrying some croissants for Marinette. Sabine took the chance to groan loudly and let her head fall on the table.

-“O-kay… can someone explain what is happening here? Papa, why are you so excited and maman why are you like, disappointed?” Marinette asked with worry. Her parents were strange, but this was weird.

-“Oh darling, don’t worry, your Maman is a sore loser, nothing more.” Tom answered with a huge grin under his mostache. –“What do you say, Sabine dear? Ready to keep up your side of the bargain?” –

-“What?! Wait, what bargain? What are you talking about?!” Marinette’s eyes kept coming back and forth between her parents.

-“Urgh, okay. Your father and I did a bet like…2 years ago? If you started dating Adrien before the end of lyceé he won. If you two started dating after, I won.”

-“YOU TWO MADE A BET OVER MY LOVE LIFE?! UNBELIAVEBLE!”

-“I’m sorry, honey, it was just a game. Not something to manipulate you or Adrien, nor hurt your feelings. Your maman and I only want to see you happy, ok? But if this hurts you, we do truly apologize.” Sabine was besides her Papa, nodding along every sentence.

_Do they have to be so nice? I can’t stay mad if they apologize. Okay, I’m not even mad, just embarrassed. Really._

-“It’s okay, I’m not mad... just embarrassed. Just, no more bets on my life. Ok?”

-“Yes, sweetie.” She held eye contact with both her parents and then smiled.

-“Okay, I’m-“ her phone went off with a text from Adrien. –“Adrien is downstairs and is really upset, something must have happened with his dad.” She said in a rush, while going down the stairs to meet with her boyfriend.

They were not going to make it to first period. Adrien was a mess, he arrived with red rimmed eyes and a suitcase in hand. The urge to transform and beat that Agreste piece of shit to a pulp was stronger than anything in that moment.

  Tom and Sabine, knowing from the beginning the teenager had a shitty life at home, had taken upon themselves to be the parents Adrien didn’t have. They made sure the kid was well fed –he was always so _skinny-_ , if he had troubles with his friends or needed any kind of advice he had started to come to them, knowing Gabriel didn’t have time for such banalities.

  The three of them made sure Adrien was sitting at the dinner table with a warm cup of tea before he could even blink, and without knowing what else to do, Adrien told them everything. How he hadn’t felt at home in that mansion in _years,_ how cold and lonely he felt, how it wasn’t _fair_ that he tried so hard and still his father didn’t love him. He told them how he wanted to break them up, how he threatened to take him out of school, and how Adrien had just had enough. He couldn’t stay a single day more in that prison.

  Tom’s knuckles where white from gripping his apron so hard, and he knew Sabine was ready to go out and hunt that son of a bitch down. Adrien was such a sweet young man, and he did not deserve the life fate had given him. Sabine’s hands came up to cup Adrien’s cheeks, drying his tears with her thumbs. She kissed his forehead and hugged him. He melted in her arms and sobbed openly, Marinette showing her support by rubbing his back with her hand. After a few moments, when the sobs had turned into quiet sniffs, Sabine grabbed Adrien’s cheeks again, and looked at him in the eyes.

-“It’s settled then, you’re staying with us. If you want to, of course. We’ll have the guest room ready for tonight. In the meantime, I guess it’s for the best if you both stay home. I’ll call Madame Bustier and explain. It has been a very stressful day for you, my dear, and if you want you can stay with Marinette today, resting. Is that okay, honey?”

-“I- I don’t want to bother you, really. I could crash at Nino’s or something.” Adrien wanted to stay, he really, _really_ , wanted to stay. Nothing had felt like home in such a long time, and there, in that cozy apartment above the Patisserie, he could feel the warmth and the love only a home could give.

-“Sweetie, I hope you don’t take offense when I say this, but the fact that you have lived all those years with that project of a human being is a nightmare. You have never, and will _never_ be a bother. Least of all in this family. So, I offer you again, do you want to stay?” It was easy to see where Marinette got that gift of making people feel at ease.

-“Yes, please.” Adrien said in a tiny voice, still, Sabine’s smile lit up the room.

-“Okay then, Marinette, honey… go with Adrien, sit yourselves on the couch and rest for today, okay? If you need anything you just call any of us. Tom, love, could you help me with the guest room? We’ll open a bit later today.” Tom nodded, and went past the living room, to Adrien’s new room. It was small, had a window on the wall opposite to the door, the bed to the right, and a dresser to the left; but it’ll do. Tom left the suitcase at side of the door, and went to find the sheets for the bed. When he returned, Sabine had already opened the window to air the room and was sitting on the bed, a faraway look on her face. He sat next to her, and took her tiny hand in his massive one grabbing her attention.

  Tom and Sabine shared a look. They knew Marinette was Ladybug and Adrien, Chat Noir. They also knew that the users of the miraculous of Creation and Destruction were, more often than not, soulmates. After all, that’s how the Dupain-Chengs fell in love.

* * *

 

**3\. The Class**

    After a full day of cuddling with his Lady, playing Mecha Strike IV –and having his ass handed to him in a plate by said mlle.-, Adrien felt better. Not 100% better, but he was fine.

  It was Friday morning, half an hour before his alarm went off. _No more schedules, no more 5am photoshoots…finally._ Adrien was laying wide awake, with nothing else to do when an idea came to mind. His friends didn’t know they were dating, they had no clue. The day before he told Nino that he had a fight with his dad and he was at Marinette’s at the moment but nothing else. She told Alya the same thing, because they wanted to tell them they were dating in person.

  But…Adrien could ask Marinette out, say whatever he wanted, _however he wanted._ No more guidelines nor rules about how to behave in public. He could actually be whoever he wanted to be.

 Silently, he tiptoed to the kitchen, hearing Tom and Sabine down the bakery, took a piece of camembert, and went to his room to plan.

 

 

   Marinette woke up to her alarm clock at 7 am, at first she groggily hit the snooze button, but then her brain caught up and remembered what had happened the day before. Wide eyes opened to welcome the sun directly at her face, wincing at the sharp pain of being left temporarily blind, she wiped the drool that had been running across her cheek on her sleep and sat up. After doing her morning routing, she came downstairs to find a note on the counter.

_Princess,_

_I’m sorry I’m not there when you woke up,_

_but I had some errands to run._

_I’ll see you at school._

_Love, Adrien._

  She was confused, but thought nothing of it and went on with her morning before heading to school.

  Alya was waiting for her when she arrived, and together they went inside. She tried to ask her what had happened with Adrien the day before, but she told her it was his story to tell. When they got to the classroom she immediately noticed something was different. Adrien was sitting on her spot with a red rose laying on her desk, as soon as he saw her he stood up and slowly made his way to her.

  At this point, everyone in class was looking at them. Alya had her phone out and recording, but Marinette could only see Adrien. He was wearing his hair a little more a la Chat Noir today, like someone had been running their hands through it. _That hotstuff is **my** hotstuff._ He grabbed her left hand with his right one and kissed her cheek and she _could_ _feel her knees shaking. Oh my God._

  He kissed her cheek with a “Bonjour, princess” and she finally understood what they meant when they say that someone took your breath away. She knew Adrien was a romantic at heart, but she never thought he would be like this with her. She was not ready for all the love and happiness radiating from her kitty’s eyes.

  -“Marinette, I know we’ve been friends for a long time…but I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to be just friends with you. So, would you do me the honor of going on a date tonight, just the two of us?” – He was smiling at her with so much tenderness it made her tear up. She thought she was in love with Adrien before, but nothing could ever compare with what she felt for him now. It was as if her heart was so full of love it no longer fit inside her body , stealing her ability to breathe and think. She used her right hand to caress his cheek and stood on her toes to kiss him softly.

-“Of course, I’d love to.” And he was kissing her again, grabbing her from the waist to bring their bodies closer.

  The squeals, laughter and screams that surrounded them cut short the kiss, but it all grew quiet when Chloé stood in front of everyone with her hands on her hips.

-“Yeah, yeah, super cute and romantic. Congratulations Adrien in taking you head out of your ass. Now pay up, bitches.” A cacophony of groans and disappointed mutterings filled the classroom. The new couple watched confused as every single classmate passed Chloé a 20 euro bill, and then they realized…

-“OH MY GOD, NOT YOU TOO!” –Marinette’s yell was heard around the school.

  It was after class ended they found out Madam Bustier won the bet the school staff had made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, little note: in France the ammount of years it takes to legally declare a person dead in absentia is 10 years...obviously I had to cut that to 4 years..so bear with me on that.  
> PLEASE COMMENT AND TELL ME OF YOU LIKED THIS FIC OR NOT! I could really use with the criticism.  
> Thanks so much for reading! I love you all!!!


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